Tissue Nanotransfection

Ready for human trials?

New Hope for Cell Damage and Repair

If the stories in the media are to be believed, the process of tissue nanotransfection, in which skin cells are turned into things like blood vessels by placing them on a small nanochip, then a revolution in medical science will soon be underway.

Ohio State University researchers have dubbed the new technique as TNT for tissue nanotransfection, a process that is so revolutionary that is seems to come out of science fiction. Skin cells from the patient are bombarded electrically with DNA to become nerves, blood vessels, and other complex parts of the body. There is already talk of treatments for Parkinson's disease, Diabetes, and Altzheimer's. Similarly, there is the possibility of treating traumatic injuries or those requiring reconstruction, so that blood can flow to organs or damaged limbs.

Like the Frankenstein Film, but on a Nano Scale!

Imagine fixing the human heart by using a microchip. If the promise of TNT is fulfilled, this is just one of the many new treatments that will be possible.

Trials in Animals are promising

The treatment, as published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, has become a media sensation with a great deal of interest among medical professionals. The chip itself was used to create new blood vessels to restore blood flow to a mouse's damaged limb, showing promise for the same type of treatment in humans. Furthermore, the ability to make cells with a patient's own DNA will circumvent rejection.

Pioneering research at a University in Ohio may be creating a whole new field in medicine, and ways for people to heal quickly from traumatic injury, stay healthier longer, and reduce medical costs associated with long-term treatment. In many ways the chip appears to have the same promise as stem cell research, which is far more controversial.